D.C. Department of Health is introducing a strict fine on restaurants and bars that provide hookas to guests. The District allows the use of hookahs in particular venues, but restaurant smoking laws stipulate that hookah may only be provided if the majority of an establishment’s income comes from smoking, not the sale of food and drink. Because hookah is often served as an accompaniment to food and drink, the lines have been blurred for some time. The Department of Health, however, along with an organization called Smokefree D.C. has pushed to find restaurants that are not abiding by the regulations.
Because hookah uses flavored tobacco, should hookah be banned from public spaces completely? Are the current regulations enough to protect those who wish to avoid tobacco smoke?
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